OCTOBER 9, 2004

From: Scott Beld
Sent: Sunday, October 10, 2004
To: Oxbow Archaeologists
Subject: Ponton Site - October 9, 2004

Hi Oxbow Archaeologists,

We made it out to the site yesterday. It was a beautiful autumn day and we had a good day excavating five units (see Ponton Map - October 9, 2004). John O., Marianne, Dave, Frances, Conrad (he’s back from Mackinac), and I made it out (see Photo 1).

523R496. John, Marianne, Dave, and I excavated this unit. The usual types of material (F.C.R., brick frags., nails, flat glass frags., etc.) including decorated earthenware (Brown Transfer and Handpainted, see Photo 2) and a ribbed/fluted pipe bowl were recovered. We also found a piece of a large iron hook in this unit (see Photo 3).

523R497. John, Marianne, Dave, Frances, and I excavated this unit. Decorated earthenware from this unit included Brown, Light Blue and Red Transfer and Handpainted (see Photo 4). There was also a brass hook from a hook-and-eye clothing fastener (see Photo 5) and a projectile point fragment (probably a Jack’s Reef Corner-notched, i.e. early Late Woodland, ca. 600-900 A.D., see Photo 6).

523R498. John and I excavated this unit. Decorated earthenware from this unit included Red and Brown Transfer and Handpainted. Two pipe stems and a bowl/stem juncture from a ribbed/fluted pipe were also recovered (see Photo 7). We found a feature in the west 1/3 of this unit. As the day progressed it became apparent that this is another large feature extending at least 3 meters east-west. The 2002 season test unit 525R500 located 2 meters north of the line we excavated yesterday had a feature that is probably part of this feature. So the feature probably measures at least 3 meters north-south also! I’ve drawn the approximate location of this feature in yellow on the map (see map 10-9-04.gif).

523R499. Frances and I excavated this unit. Decorated earthenware included Blue Transfer and Handpainted (see Photo 8) and there was another fragment of an impressed Clews backmark (see Photo 9). We also found a biface fragment (see Photo 10) and a brass button (see Photo 11).

523R500. I excavated this unit. Brown and Red Transfer and Green Edge earthenware and a ribbed/fluted pipe bowl fragment were recovered from this unit.

Conrad and Frances spent part of the day taking elevations with the transit for the site map (see Photo 12).

I’ll put additional pictures of artifacts on the web page again this week.

This Wednesday we’ll change our routine a little. Instead of doing lab work, we’ll plan on excavating at the site. Right now it looks like it should be a nice day. I should be at the site by 4:00 or so.

Next Saturday we’ll plan on excavating at the site as usual.

Hope to see you at the site.

Scott

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Scott G. Beld
Research Associate II
The University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology
1109 Geddes Road
Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1079
Phone: 734-764-0489 (UMMP Main Office)
734-763-9253 (My Office)
Fax: 734-936-1380
Email: sbeld@umich.edu
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